Got some nice points, but us Brits can't do everything.

Rating: 8/10 (22 August 2003)

MAJOR SPOILERS.
"28 Days Later" is one of those strange British films, which once again relies on minimal special effects, and comes out with flying colours. This film, without putting it mildly, is mostly stunning. All of the characters are well explained and well performed & the plot itself is excellent. In fact, the only flaw with this film is it's ending which is (to say the least) a bit pathetic, but this seems to be an on running problem with all films nowadays which seem incapable of actually properly ending the masterpieces they are up until whatever point. Anyway, irrelevant of this one technical flaw, for the first 9/10ths of this film, it is expertly written & performed.
"28 Days Later" begins at an Animal Testing facility where a couple of Animal Rights Protesters attempt to release some infected animals into nature. They unfortunately succeed and thus doom the entire of Britain to become full of "infected", people who are blood hungry and madder than Britain's Foreign Policies. This film then skips to 28 days later where a man (Jim) awakens in a hospital after being put into a coma two or three days previously to the original outbreak. The film then progresses as Jim searches for survivors and answers & then attempts to escape this country which is now under quarantine.
Jim and his friends gain and loose members until an explosive climax. Now if you haven't seen this film, I recommend stopping reading now as going to briefly mention later parts of the film & discuss things which could ruin this wonderful experience.
Everyone who doesn't want to read ahead gone? Good.
Eventually Jim and his few remaining friends encounter the remnants of an Army compound & eventually these Army men abuse their abilities in an attempt to rape particular women & Jim is forced to fight back. This fight back is powerful (helped by a stunning soundtrack) and when Jim eventually is faced to face with his remaining friend Selena, it is the obvious culmination of the idea that despite the "rage" being an investment of physical violence, simultaneously it is possible for us to be just as crazy and animalistic when we are angry. Perhaps this is one notion the film intentionally tries to show us. This film shows us just how aggressive and exploitative we can be when a social morality ceases to exist and we are quite literally living like animals.
I could go off on one now about the whole notion of the flaws with Animal Activision, but I'm going to pass on this opportunity and summarise.
In general, for the vast majority of this film, the plot, acting, and minimal special effects work wonderfully together (Jim walking through abandoned London is particularly effective. Always wanted to see a Big Red Bus on it's side), but ultimately the ending is a disappointing dip down. Either way, it is unfair to condemn the majority of this film for it's ending. Watch this film, love it, but turn it off before the final five minutes.